
Devils hire Panthers executive Mehta as GM
New Jersey Devils appoint Sunny Mehta as their new general manager.
Hansi Flick stated that Barcelona 'deserved to be in the semi-final' of the Champions League after their elimination by Atletico Madrid. Barcelona was down 2-0 from the first leg and attempted a comeback, with Lamine Yamal scoring early in the match.
Hansi Flick insists Barcelona ādeserved to be in the semi-finalā of Champions League after Atletico defeat
Hansi Flick says Barcelona ādeserved to be in the semi-finalā following their Champions League elimination at the hands of Atletico Madrid.
The Blaugrana were trailing 2-0 from the first leg and needed a big comeback on Tuesday to make it to the final four.
Lamine Yamal reduced the deficit in the fifth minute when he slid the ball under goalkeeper Juan Musso.
Barca levelled the tie midway through the half, as Ferran Torres picked out the top corner with a fine left-footed strike.
However, Atletico restored their aggregate lead on the half-hour mark when Ademola Lookman finished past Joan Garcia after being brilliantly set up by Marcos Llorente.
Torres put the ball into the net early in the second half but his effort was ruled out for offside following a VAR review.
The visitors were reduced to 10 men after Eric Garcia received a red card for tripping Alexander Sorloth.
Barcelona desperately pushed for an equaliser but their La Liga rivals held on to seal a 3-2 victory on aggregate.
In his post-match press conference, Flick said: āIām very proud of the teamās performance and the way we played. Over the two matches, we deserved to reach the semi-finals.ā
Barcelona made a valiant effort in Madrid, but they ultimately came up short after conceding twice in the first leg.
The Blaugrana havenāt made it to the Champions League final since 2015, when they defeated Juventus to become the European champions.
Barcelona won the La Liga title last season, and are on course to defend their title this term.
They sit nine points clear at the top of the league table with seven games remaining.
However, success in Europe has eluded the Spanish giants over the years.
Hansi Flick claimed that Barcelona 'deserved to be in the semi-final' despite their elimination by Atletico Madrid.
Barcelona was trailing 2-0 from the first leg and managed to score early in the second leg with a goal from Lamine Yamal, but ultimately did not advance.
Lamine Yamal scored for Barcelona in the fifth minute of the match against Atletico Madrid.

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